KIDNEY STONES

Americans Are Eating Less But Still Gaining Weight

We told you. How many meals did Serenity tell you to have each day?? Hmmmm?

by Marissa

(CC) Tobyotter/Flickr

The obesity epidemic might be at an all-time high, but a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Americans are actually eating significantly less.

Between 2003 and 2010, daily consumption decreased by 74 calories. These numbers are pretty significant considering that daily intake increased by 314 calories a day between 1971 and 2003. This decrease in calories suggests people are losing weight, but the opposite seems to be true. Some experts think we need more time to see the results of the decreased caloric intake; however, there are other factors that attribute to obesity.
Keri Gans of Shape magazine suggests that people aren’t always telling the truth when asked about their daily consumption. “Too many of my patients want to please me or get a good ‘grade’.. and report only the healthy items they’ve eaten,” she writes.

It is also true that we might be eating items that are advertised as low-calorie, but are actually taking in much more than we think. A study by Tufts University found that 20 percent of the foods they tested at 42 different restaurants actually had at least 100 calories more than what was advertised.

Lastly, a lack of physical activity has been a major cause for obesity. Even if you do eat less calories every day, you won’t see any results unless you get daily exercise. In fact, the CDC found in a previous study that only 20 percent of Americans are getting the recommended amount of physical activity.

Have you been consuming less but haven’t seen any results?